A CLERGYMAN who served in South Essex for more than two decades, including a time assisting colleagues in Thurrock under jurisdiction of the Bishop of Bradwell, has been barred from ministry for past sexual offences including children.

The Rev David Tudor, recently Rector of Canvey Island in the Diocese of Chelmsford, has been removed from his post as Rector by the Bishop of Southwark's Disciplinary Tribunal following a hearing.

The Tribunal examined two complaints under the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003 against David Tudor and the penalty imposed followed a recent, full admission of guilt to disclosures of serious sexual abuse that were brought as a disciplinary complaint by two complainants.

The admission relates to the time when he was a priest in the Diocese of Southwark and includes serious sexual abuse involving a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old.

The Tribunal's judgement can be read in full on the Church of England Website.

Commenting on the Tribunal's decision the Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Rev Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani said: "I am deeply sorry for the profound hurt and harm David Tudor's behaviour has caused and I welcome the Tribunal's decision to remove him from office and prohibit him from ministry for life.

"It has taken enormous courage from those who came forward to report David Tudor's abuse that led to a formal complaint being investigated under the Clergy Discipline Measure. I am extremely grateful to them for doing so and I know this lengthy process has caused considerable distress and anxiety. Anxiety and distress that could have been avoided, at least in some part, if David Tudor had made his admissions before now.

"I am also grateful to the teams of safeguarding professionals in Chelmsford Diocese, Southwark Diocese and at the Church of England who continue to work together to support those who have been affected and liaise with the relevant statutory authorities.

"There will be important lessons that must be learned about how this matter has been handled over many years and I welcome the fact that there will now be a national independent safeguarding practice review."

Earlier in his life in the church, Tudor spent a brief period in jail in 1988 after being convicted of having sex with young girls.

The convictions overturned on appeal and he was freed.

His past caught up with him again in 2005 when he was suspended by the Diocese of Chelmsford after a complaint was made about his conduct relating to a time prior to his ordination in the 1970s. A tribunal heard there were no criminal proceedings and he was permitted to return to his position at Canvey Island.

Howeverk, that prompted then Castle Point MP Bob Spink - ironically himself later convicted of election fraud and disgraced, having to serve a suspended prison sentence - to raise the priest's background and publicly called for him to be investigated further.

Mr Spink said that although Mr Tudor's conviction in 1988 had been quashed because they were 'un-safe and unsatisfactory', he felt there were unresolved concerns about integrity and trust and he queried other incidents in which allegations were made involving sexual relationship with young people.

They were the offences that ultimately led to Tudor's downfall at the recent hearing.

David Tudor worked with churches in Thurrock when he was a younger priest.

At the time Mr Spink, a former Tory MP who later defected to UKIP, said: "I have written to the Bishop of Chelmsford and asked him to put the protection of children above the protection of the church's priests."

A clergy member in Thurrock, who asked not to be named, today highlighted the case of Tudor and what was described as 'concerted cover-ups by the Anglican church about a number of other allegations', adding: "These things run very deep - as we have seen with the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury over a protected child abuser in the church."

John Smyth was dubbed the "most prolific serial abuser" in church history, who the CofE failed to bring to justice despite being made aware many years ago of to bring Smyth to justice over his "prolific, brutal and horrific" abuse of up to 130 boys in Britain, Zimbabwe and South Africa over many decades.

Our contact drew parallels with Smith and Tudor, saying: "I have no doubt that Tudor's history has been on the desk of the various Archbishops of Chelmsford over recent years but the files remained closed. 

"It's somewhat ironic, through there's no suggestion of any wrongdoing, that one of the recent incumbents of the Bishops Hall in Chelmsford might succeed Justin Welby."

That thought has been echoed elsewhere. Dame Jasvinder Sanghera, who led an independent body investigating abuse in the CofE.

Dame Jasvinder said she had repeatedly raised concerns with former Essex Archbishop Stephen Cottrell, now the Archbishop of York and tipped either as the new leader of the Anglican church, or the 'kingmaker' who will succeed Justin Welby.

She said: "I sat down with both archbishops and poured my heart out, saying we need help. It went unheard — they have chosen to look the other way.

"The real currency of leadership is transparency and trust. Sadly, Stephen Cottrell has not demonstrated either with survivors. I believe stepping down is the most appropriate thing to do.

"At every point, when we tried to get them to listen, we were ignored. There are people who are still in place who need to be held to account. There were sexual, physical and emotional allegations as well as bullying, intimidation and many going to the Church for a safeguarding response and being let down. Some of their complaints are against very senior bishops."

Dame Jasvinder said that in an email sent in July she told Archbishops Cottrell and Welby of her fear that some victims were so traumatised that they "may not survive another year without support".

There were calls for more resignations last week, as the abuse scandal surrounding rocked the Church. But Archbishop Cottrell tried to draw a line under the saga and suggested Justin Welby's decision was enough "because he has resigned for the institutional failings".

A spokesman for the Archbishop of York denied that he had ignored the cases. They said: "The archbishop has always taken safeguarding very seriously, particularly his commitment to victims and survivors, and he commends Dame Jasvinder's work in this important area. But it is not true to say that these victims and survivors have been 'ignored'.

"He believes the future of Church safeguarding needs independent structures and scrutiny while ensuring it remains everyone's responsibility. The archbishop deeply regrets the impact on victims following the disbandment of the ISB, which was a decision taken collectively by the archbishops' council. This was due to a breakdown in relations with independent members."